


Day 126

by Josh_the_Bard



Series: A Year in Kirkwall [126]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-05
Updated: 2020-05-05
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:20:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24024217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Josh_the_Bard/pseuds/Josh_the_Bard
Relationships: Luka/oc
Series: A Year in Kirkwall [126]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1589257





	Day 126

Feja stared in horror at the vials of poison at her workstation. She had not expected Luka to be perfect with her cleaning, her sister put little care into anything she did, but had not expected it to be this bad. Feja had given the vials a once over before filling them but they were far worse than that. Luka had not even rinsed them and there had been enough soap and grime mixed together to completely spoil the batch. Rhatigan would be expecting the poisons tomorrow morning and was not one who tolerated failure.

Feja could have enough ready by then but she had used all her reagents and had no money to buy more. Rhatigan would be almost as angry if she asked for the money to purchase ingredients he had already given her as he would if she had nothing to give him in the morning.

She would have to borrow money, and quickally. That was usually a bad idea, the sorts of people who lent money on such short notice were not known for their patience or kindness. Aslo how would she pay them back?

In the end Feja decided that she was more afraid of Rhatigan then any moneylender Kirkwall had to offer. The Carta would likely defend her if anyone came to rough her up, so there was that. 

She was just on her way out when Luka came in the door of their home. Feja was about to lay into her lazy, no-good sister when she noticed that she was not alone. Harra was with her. Feja didn’t know Harra well, but she was one of Rhatigan’s many children. If she let on that sthe poisons were ruined and word got back to Harra’s father, Feja might be punished whether or not she could produce replacements on time.

“Hey sis,” Luka said tentatively. She could probably guess Feja’s mood by her face. She tried to calm her expression before Harra noticed. “This is Harra.” as if Feja didn’t know. “She’s interested in alchemy and stuff.” ‘And stuff!’ Luka certainly had a way with words. But it did give Feja an idea.

“Well it’s nice to meet you Harra,” Feja said. She hoped her smile was friendly and not creepy, Luka often teased her about her smile. “I’m afraid I’m just on my way out… but if you are interested in alchemy there are some things that need doing.”

“Really?” Harra said. “I would love to help.”

“Excellent,” Feja said. “I have some vials in the lab filled with old poisons that need to be disposed of.”

“I thought that-” Luka started but Feja cut her off before she could say anything incriminating.

“All my best files are filled with old, unusable, shit,” she said firmly. “Luka can show you the proper way to dispose of them and then the PROPER WAY to clean them.” She stared directly at Luka when she spoke. 

Luka, thick as she was, seemed to understand and nodded meekly. Harra seemed pleased by this. Feja told the girl to go have a look around the laboratory but not to touch anything and she sped off happily. Feja pinned her sister up against a wall and leaned in close.

“If those vials are not immaculately clean by the time I get back I will flay you alive and use your body for fertilizer.” she snarled. Luka squeaked out her understanding and hurried off after Harra.

Now came the hard part of finding the right moneylender for her needs. She quickally left Darktown behind, the interest was too high and the loans too small. Lowtown was the place for her and, though she was in a hurry she found out that a new lender had set up shop, offering ridiculously low rates.

Feja was absolutely flabbergasted to see Varric Tethras inside the shop, sitting next to a red haired human. She was even more surprised to learn that he recognized her by name.

“I hate to tell you, but you are not really our target market if you're looking for a loan,” he said.

“And who exactly do you think your target market is?” she demanded.

“Those who will actually pay us back of course,” he said. Varric turned to his human companion. “Feja here is part of the Carta. It would do you good to familiarize yourself with the major players so you don’t get into trouble. You can’t send collectors against someone who lives with meaner collectors. That’s why no one will lend to any of Hawke’s friends anymore.” 

Feja’s normal checklist of bargaining techniques would have her making threads next but one look at Varric’s legendary crossbow put that thought from her mind. If she went to another lender they would probably refuse her for the same reasons. It was time for a bargaining tactic of desperation. 

“I need the money,” Feja insisted. “I will pay you back and I can’t have the Carta know I borrowed money. I’ll take two percent more interest.”

“We actually do things differently here,” Varric said. “We don’t so much lend out indiscriminately as we do invest in sound business ideas.”

“We can help you make a proposal,” the human said. His tone was far too friendly for a moneylender. “And how your business will help your community.”

“What is this shit?” Feja demanded looking to Varric for an explanation. Varric simply shrugged and looked at her with a bemused expression. She was about to storm out of the building when an idea came to her. Rhatigan was certainly not going to be paying her for her service and she would need some way to pay off her debt.

“Here is my proposal,” she said. “I already have all the tools I need to run a pest control service. I’ll make poisons for killing vermin and protecting foodstuffs. My goal is to work enough on the side that I can buy my way out of the Carta. I’ll offer up my alchemical lab as collateral and take fifteen percent interest.”

“We don’t want-” the human started but Varric cut him off.

“Sounds good,” he said. “How much did you need.”

Feja thought for a moment. Five sovereigns would pay for the materials she needed for the Carta, if she wanted to make enough product to be able to cover the interest she would need at least four times that.

“Twenty sovereigns,” she declared. The human’s jaw dropped and Varric tutted.

“Let’s start with ten,” Varric replied. If you make your first payment on time we can talk about the rest. Feja thought it over for a moment. She doubted she could get a better deal anywhere else in the city.

“Deal!”


End file.
